


Our Last Christmas Morning

by Bells Still Ring (Hale_of_a_VNeck)



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Cancer, Death, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2014-12-21
Packaged: 2018-03-02 17:28:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2820314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hale_of_a_VNeck/pseuds/Bells%20Still%20Ring
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cassandra drives to see Alaric one last time for Christmas. But he doesn't know she's dying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Our Last Christmas Morning

She wakes to the feel of soft fingers trailing up her spine. The feeling is all too familiar but yet still sparks a raging fire underneath her skin. Alaric had that effect on her. Not matter how many times he touched her, kissed her, loved her every way imaginable, it always felt like the first time. 

She had driven all night to see him, through the Christmas Eve snow storm, just to see him one last time. He hadn’t know she was sick. None of them did and she did her best to keep it that way. She doesn’t know how long she has left, weeks maybe, but she knows this is going to be her last Christmas. And she wanted to spend it with the man she loved. 

He had been surprised to see her when she knocked on his door. But he looked at her like Christmas Morning had come twelve hours early, swooping her into his arms and twirling her around his loft, before setting her on her feet, kissing her tenderly. She spends the entire night proving that she loves him, the only way she knows how: giving her heart, body, and soul over to him completely, one last time. 

She falls asleep first, in his arms, for the last time. But she wakes tucked up against his side, hand rested on his chest, the feel of his hand against her back, tracing lazy designs on her skin. She smiles up at him, sliding against him until her lips reach his; he tastes of mostly coffee and a hint of morning breath. But mostly he tastes like Alaric, and she loves it.  
“Morning.” His lips brush against hers and she smiles at him, pulling back slightly.  
“It’s not just any morning, Merry Christmas, Alaric.” She’s kissing him again, tenderly on his jaw, determined to make this the best Christmas for the both of them.  
They spend the day in bed together because they can and neither have anywhere else they’d rather be. They teased, explored, and loved on each other like it was their first time all over again, but in the back of her mind she’s cherishing it because she know’s its their last time. 

They spend the day lounging at the loft, watching the snow flurry outside. Alaric tries to convince her to stay. Convince her that the roads are too bad to drive on. But she just smiles, silencing him with a kiss every time he brings it up. She has an appointment on Monday that she can't miss. 

So they just sit together, drinking hot chocolate, touching each other; in small ways, a brush a hand here, a kiss on a cheek there. Just content to be with the other person. And they don't argue. God, for once she goes an entire day where they don't butt heads about something and she's thankful for that. Wanting his last memory of her to be one of a perfect day with her. 

When it's time for her to leave, she doesn't cry. And that's another small miracle she's thankful for. She pulls Ric by his leather jacket, her favorite jacket, until his lips are against hers. She gives him the best damn goodbye kiss she can muster, with a broken promise to visit in a few weeks. 

She didn't know how to tell the man that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with that she had cancer and it was too far advanced to treat. She knew vampire blood couldn't cure her. But she knew she'd be tempted to have Stefan or Damon, probably Damon, turn her. 

But Alaric would never look at her the same way again. Never touch her the same way. Sure, he's friends with Damon. But he'd never be in love with a vampire. And living without him, for eternity, would be worse than death.

So she didn't say anything as she gave him one last hug, clinging to him just a little longer than normal, before climbing into her truck, ready to make the long drive back into the city. Then she drives away, watching him shrink in the distance through her rear view mirror. 

Only then does she let the tears come. Only then does she acknowledge the amount of pain she's been in. The doctor had warned her that the trip would be hard on her body, having already started the useless rounds of chemo. But it was something that she needed to do. 

It takes two weeks for her body to give up completely, she thought she had longer. But it was just wishful thinking. But she goes quietly and painlessly, like the doctor promised. He also promised that when she went, he would send a letter to Alaric, one that she wrote the day she got home,

Alaric,  
I’m sorry for leaving you. I'm so sorry that we could have more days together, like Christmas; our  
last Christmas. Its funny, you thought I'd always die by the hands of some monster, probably Damon, but you'd  
never have guessed that it would be Breast Cancer that beat me in the end.  
So, if you are reading this, I'm already gone. And I don't want your to mourn my death. Celebrate my  
life; your life; life in general. If this teaches us anything, its that life is too short.  
I love you, Alaric Saltzmen, and not even death can take that away from either of us. Don't shut people  
out, I know you're going to be hurting, but let Damon help. He loves you too.  
I'm sorry I couldn't stay Ric, forgive me?  
Your Brave Girl

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written as a meme reply on my Indie OC RP account on Tumblr. But it was so good that I had to share it here.


End file.
